Ahmad Danny Ramadan

Ahmad Danny Ramadan

Local hero

What does Syrian-born Ahmad Danny Ramadan love most about his adopted country of Canada? “Walking proudly on a sunny summer day after a long winter on Davie Street holding my partner’s hand with no fear in the world,” he says.

Being a gay man living in a Lebanese refugee camp was not quite so carefree. But he used his talents as a journalist to bring attention to the struggles of LGBTQ-identifying refugees. He also reported for two years on the Syrian civil war for the Washington Post from their offices in Beirut.

When Ramadan was given a choice to leave the camp in 2014 for either Europe or Canada, he picked Canada. “I knew that I can build a future for myself here,” he says. “It was important to me to be in a place where I will feel part of a community and make my dreams come true.”

But he admits it’s not always been easy as he combatted stereotypical views of refugees as helpless. “It was difficult to get people to believe in my talents and accomplishments because I’m only viewed as a refugee. It took a lot of work and effort to change that view and bring my agency to the front of any conversation.”

Today, he has become a well-known face in Vancouver’s LGBTQ community, working as the community outreach co-ordinator of QMUNITY, British Columbia’s Queer Resource Centre. He also volunteers with Rainbow Refugee Society, and supported the organization in sponsoring more than 10 refugees from Syria, personally raising more than $80,000. Ramadan proudly celebrated his journey thus far when he was chosen as the “local hero” grand marshal for Vancouver’s Gay Pride Parade in 2016.

Ramadan, who also has a TEDx speech titled The Refugee Tree, is now working as a volunteer specialist with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

Ramadan also recently penned a book of fiction. “I just released my first novel, The Clothesline Swing, to rave reviews by many local and national newspapers, and I will be touring Canada in the fall to promote the book.”

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